The Capitol's Puppet
by Ambermar
Summary: Katniss Everdeen, one of District 2's most dangerous and lethal potential tributes. When she volunteers, as expected – she doesn't expect to win automatically. When President Snow offers her a place in his military, she has no choice but to accept. But accepting this proposal may not be what she wants. Watch as she chooses between what's right and what will keep her safe.


**Hey whoever is reading this! I'm Amburly, and this is NOT my first story. But it's the only story published on this account. I have a history of deleting my stories, so I'll try and continue this one.**

 **(A/N Cont. at the bottom)**

An arrow penetrates the man's chest, causing him to fall and stumble. Another arrows flies through the air towards his comrades, imbedding itself into a woman's forehead. The last two look back at their companions, fear invading their expressions – causing all of them to freeze. Two arrows fly towards them, heading straight towards their hearts.

 _Simulation completed._

I step out of the simulation, my bow and quiver in hand. I turn to my step-father who is looking at me with a disappointed expression. I bow my head, knowing I've done something wrong.

"Eight seconds Katniss," he says, disapproval evident in his voice. "Our goal was six," he reprimands, his tone growing louder. "You've got to be the best," he says, his tone cold. "Or you're never going to win the Hunger Games," he says, shaking his head in dismay.

I look up for a fleeting glance, my head still lowered. "I'm sorry, I'll do it again," I say flatly, not daring to look up.

"Sorry?" He questions dangerously, rage radiating off him. "Sorry is no going to win the Hunger Games!" He rages, his face going red. "Sorry is not going to save your life. Hard work is!" He yells, storming up to me. He grabs my chin, forcing me to look up to him. "You won't get second-chances in the arena," he says lowly, his tone fierce.

He releases my chin, pushing me away. I stumble, but don't lose my footing. I regain my composure, looking at him calmly. He meets my gaze, his beady eyes making me feel uncomfortable.

"Keep training," he says simply, all rage gone. "If you don't beat the record, you won't eat till the reaping," he says, walking out of the training room.

When he's gone, I sigh, leaning against the wall. My step-father, Filosas, is my trainer. He can be quite violent, and threatens me quite frequently; but I guess that's what you get when your trainer is head peace-keeper. My mother married him for a steady income, because her medical remedies weren't enough. My father died in a mining incident back in district 12, where I was born.

My mother moved to district 2 with her family's help. She is originally from District 2, but moved to 12 when she met my father.

I have one younger sister, Prim and a step-brother called Aklis who currently lives with us, but sometimes stays with his mother and her family.

I stretch out my arms, standing up. I take my bow and arrows, stepping into the simulation for the second time. I ready my bow, taking an arrow out and positioning it against the bowstring. My eyes narrow, looking for any sign of movement.

 _Simulation initiated._

I tighten the bowstring, getting ready. Three men appear before me, standing ready. I aim and fire, the arrow hitting one of the men in the heart. This sends the rest into a frenzy, the two of them running opposite ways. I draw an arrow, aiming it towards the fleeing man's head. It flies through the air, ending up in his neck. I turn to the other man, who is all the way in the corner. I draw an arrow, letting it fly towards his chest. The arrow successfully kills the man, imbedding itself in the chest area.

I turn to the door and walk through it. I check my time – 6.49 seconds. I sigh in relief, wiping the sweat off my forehead. I put my bow and quiver in the storage cabinet, making sure it's locked.

I make my way up the stairs and into the main part of the house. Filosas had the basement turned into a training facility for me, so I didn't have to be 'distracted' by the other trainees.

I continue walking towards my room, careful to not make any noise. If Filosas knows that I've finished, he'll just make me train for longer.

The only reason Filosas puts so much time into me is because of the rewards. If I win the Hunger Games, he will automatically be promoted to head trainer of the training academy. He will also receive a generous amount of money from District 2's government, to thank him for my success.

I open the door to my room, closing it behind me. I lock it, making sure no-one can get in. I make my way over to my bed, throwing myself onto the soft mattress. It sinks beneath me, moulding to the shape of my body.

I sigh in relief, rolling onto my back. I lie like that for a few minutes, relaxing my muscles from all the hard work.

Eventually, I get up off the bed and walk into my bathroom. I look at the numerous beauty products stacked on my bathroom bench, which I almost never use. My mother has been forcing me into a beauty routine recently, since the reaping is coming up. She bought around thirty products five weeks before, and tested them on herself to find the best combination.

So right now, my skin is soft and flawless. With tomorrow being the reaping, my mother has been frantically running around, trying to get my outfit ready.

I sigh, taking of my training suit. I slip into the shower, turning it on hot. I let the water run down my back, relaxing the knotted shower is a very basic design, which is one of the cheaper options. I could've gone for one of the high-tech ones from the Capitol, but I refused.

I stay in the shower for a couple of minutes, the hot water relaxing me. I eventually turn of the taps, slipping out of the shower. I wrap a towel around my body, and step out of the bathroom.

I search through my clothes, picking a basic tank-top and some leggings. I slip them on, and head down-stairs to the dining-room. I normally eat by myself in the dining room, or have the food taken to my room. I sit down in my normal seat, looking around warily.I wait a little, seeing if anyone will turn up. Eventually I end up eating by myself, in my own comfortable silence.

"Katniss!"

I turn to see my mother running towards me, her eyes wide. She grabs my hand, dragging me out of my chair. "We've got to get ready for the reaping!" she exclaims, walking towards my room with me in tow.

I roll my eyes, following her in silence. I used to be really close with my mother, but when my father died, she drifted away from everyone. However, when we moved back to District 2, she immediately came out of her shell. But she was different; more superficial and self-focused. Then she met Filosas, who was absolutely smitten with her. They got married, and so on.

When we reach my room, she sits me down in a chair, pulling my hair back into a pony-tail. She opens a bag, pulling out numerous beauty products. I sigh, grumbling to myself. She catches this, giving me a disapproving glance. "Katniss, at the reaping you have to look your best – you're not only representing District 2, you're representing our family," she says condescendingly, frowning at me. I roll my eyes, causing her to sigh.

The rest of the beautifying process happens in silence, her rubbing in countless ointments and painting my nails with a coal colour. She gets me to try on two silver dresses, and seeks my opinion on both of them. I just shrug, itching to get back into my casual clothes.

After three hours of beautification and trying on clothes, I end up in bed – my skin still itching from the two dresses.

I sigh, my mind going to the reaping. It's tomorrow, and today is my last day sleeping in this bed. It was supposed to be special, surrounded my family. Sadly, my family is superficial. The only person I can deal with is Prim, who sadly couldn't come home. She's enrolled in a boarding school, on the other side of 2. Hopefully, she'll be able to attend the reaping.

I yawn, stretching out lazily. Some people would be stressing about the reaping tomorrow, but I've anticipated this day since I was twelve. I close my eyes, letting myself slip into a peaceful slumber.

 **Hope you enjoyed that! I enjoyed writing it! So, I was wondering, should I use the original characters for the 74th Hunger Games, and just leave Clove out and create a District 12 girl? Or should I create new ones? Or make it the 73rd Hunger Games? If you want your tribute to be in the story, then submit one!**

 **Name:  
Age:  
District:  
Gender:  
** **Weapon:  
** **Strengths:  
** **Weaknesses:**

 **But remember, I may not use them.**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading...and BYE!**

 **-Amburly**


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